


every step that I ran to you

by freckleder



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, Reunions, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 04:15:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9700616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckleder/pseuds/freckleder
Summary: Keiji got up early. He pulled the shutter of his window up in an uncharacteristic haste. He was skipping university that day, another thing that wasn’t a common occurrence, but it wasn’t every day that his boyfriend came all the way from Miyagi to visit him.





	

Ink was swashing out of a toppled over inkpot, running through the fibres of the thick paper like the tiny branches of lung capillaries. Keiji clicked his tongue and picked the inkpot up. The desk lamp was the only source of light in his room, casting long shadows as he was writing. A pile of failed attempts was sitting to his right; untouched paper was waiting to be used to his left.

He used a tissue to soak up the remaining ink, then reached for a new sheet. The heater was giving off a constant white noise; Keiji had stopped noticing it a long time ago. He regarded the paper with one last look like he was fighting with a child that he couldn’t reason with, before he tried again. And again. And once more.

A small smile made its way on his face when he finally set down the fountain pen, a faintly noticeable sign of the content he felt.

 

* * *

 

Keiji got up early. He pulled the shutter of his window up in an uncharacteristic haste. Big, heavy clouds were in the sky, not a glimpse of blue could be seen. He was skipping university that day, another thing that wasn’t a common occurrence, but it wasn’t every day that his boyfriend came all the way from Miyagi to visit him.

The radio was playing at a low volume in the background while Keiji had breakfast and skimmed through the newspaper on his phone. Then he tidied his apartment up. He cleared a shelf in his closet and laid out a guest bed. Chikara was going to stay for a whole week so Keiji made space for him wherever possible.

He stopped when his phone made a tiny bleep and he saw a message from Chikara.

_“I just got on the train, I’m going to be there soon.”_

Keiji squeezed his phone while he read the message a second time. _Soon._

He checked the arrival date on the internet. He had some time left so he spent it by changing his activity every ten minutes because he couldn’t focus on anything.

It was two years ago at the training camp of their volleyball club that they started talking. Chikara had approached Keiji, who had been the vice-captain, to ask him for advice. Even though it hadn’t been official yet because they had been in the middle of their school year his captain had confided to him that he’d be the captain the following year.

They had been sitting in the summer heat, the cicadas chirping, and exchanged volleyball tactics. The sun had been shining as bright as Chikara’s ideas when he spoke about his team mates. He had also tasted defeat and remorse. His voice would turn heavy and he’d eye the floor as if he was looking for a crack in the surface to disappear into. Keiji wanted nothing more than to hold a mirror to his face and show him how the determination would flash over it when his ideas would start flowing.

But he didn’t have to. The sunburnt boy that had asked for his number with shaky hands had picked himself up on his own and risen above. They met as much as they could outside of practice, which wasn’t often. Not as often as Keiji would’ve liked.

Keiji had a look at his watch. It was still too early for him to arrive but trying to focus on anything else was futile so he left the house. His long coat laid heavy on his shoulders and his scarf was wrapped around his neck so many times it almost touched his ears.

It was Valentine’s day. Couples were roaming the streets, hand-in-hand. The stores had huge banners and displays outside, presenting chocolates and special offers. The box in Keiji’s left pocket felt heavier than it actually was. They hadn’t seen each other since Christmas, January had been a busy month for both of them.

When he reached the train station he still had half an hour left. He waited outside, on the platform. It was quiet and he listened to the metal of the rails crackling under the cold and suitcases being wheeled around. The voice of the announcer was echoing so he could barely understand it, but he kept glancing at the arrival display out of the corner of his eyes. No delays. His gaze trailed back to the grey tiles on the floor.

More people started gathering on the platform shortly before the train arrived. Keiji was among them, snatching a spot in the very front. When the voice through the speakers announced the train’s arrival his heartbeat increased; a thrill of anticipation was running through his body like an electric current.

The train arrived. Keiji’s eyes scanned the windows passing by, getting caught on any person with short, dark brown hair. Chikara didn’t exit through the door he was waiting at. Keiji turned to his left, then to his right. There he was. A silver suitcase at his side, his hair tousled from the train seat and his jacket haphazardly thrown over his shoulder.

Keiji ran. He didn’t know what got over him but he couldn’t stop moving his body until he had Chikara in his arms. He heard a soft gasp but a second later he felt two arms wrapped around his back, pulling him so close that he almost had trouble breathing. Chikara had his head buried against Keiji’s shoulder while he kept running his hands up and down his back.

It felt like a barrier was lifted and he was breathing properly for the first time in months; air filling his lungs with an easiness that he wasn’t used to. Keiji blinked a few times to get rid of the tears that started welling up when Chikara lifted his head, gazing back at him with watery eyes. Chikara was the first one to start laughing, and soon enough Keiji was swept along.

He took Chikara’s suitcase in one hand; his other one grabbed Chikara’s hand and put them into his jacket pocket to be a bit more inconspicuous. Keiji’s hand was cold from waiting outside so the warmth of Chikara’s palm caused a soft, tingly feeling.

They didn’t rush to Keiji’s apartment. They strolled through the streets, spotting the first buds on the trees and kicking the pebbles on the pavement. When they stopped at Keiji’s apartment he could tell that Chikara had expected him to take out his keys, not a small box.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Keiji handed him the box, his expression purposely neutral so Chikara didn’t know what to expect.

He inspected the box for a moment. “Did you put one singular piece of chocolate in this tiny box?” he asked with a grin. “Can I open it after we go inside?”

“No, open it now.”

Chikara shrugged and took the lid off. It didn’t contain chocolate. “A key?”

“Not any key, _your_ key,” Keiji emphasized and pointed to the door. “I wanted to give it to you for your birthday but they weren’t able to make it in time.”

Chikara looked at him with big eyes. “Are you…sure?”

“Yes, you aren’t?”

“Of course I am! I just wanted to make sure, I wasn’t expecting that.” He laughed. “Now I feel bad for only getting you some chocolate.”

Keiji’s expression softened and it wasn’t completely free of relief. Chikara liked the key and the door it unlocked. “It’s fine, we said we didn’t want to make a big deal out of this day and enjoy our week together. Also I got you chocolate and a card too because I wasn’t sure if I would change my mind half-way through.”

Chikara raised his eyesbrows. “Yeah, this is definitely not a big deal.”

“Don’t get hung up on such minor details”, Keiji replied with a twinkle in his eyes.

Chikara shook his head in disbelief and opened the door, leading them inside.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!  
> I wanted this to be fluffy and cute but it ended up having a melancholic touch. Also Akaashi was writing a card for Ennoshita in the beginning.


End file.
